Energy efficiency for Sochi Olympic stadium, Russia

Sochi Olympic Stadium – a showcase of energy efficiency

With an average February temperature of 8.3°C and a humid subtropical climate, Russian city Sochi was the warmest city to host the Winter Olympic Games. Nevertheless, the grand Olympic Stadium seating 45,000 people during the 2014 opening and closing ceremonies had to offer a pleasant indoor climate to happy athletes and spectators.

On 29 September 2013, the Olympic torch was lit in ancient Olympia, beginning a seven-day journey across Greece and on to 83 Russian cities before finally arriving in the city of Sochi on 7 February for the official opening of the 2014 Winter Olympics. The opening, closing and medal ceremonies during the Winter Olympics were held at the Central Olympic Stadium, also known as the Fisht Olympic Stadium. The grand stadium was not only a showcase of modern architecture, but also a
pioneer in innovative and energy efficient heating and hot water solutions.

One stadium – Three purposes

The Sochi Olympic Stadium was not only built for the one event, but to be used for several activities after the Winter Olympics. First of all, the stadium was built for the opening, closing and medal ceremonies of the Olympics with 40,000 spectators. After the Olympics, the stadium was to serve as the home ground of the local football team with 25,000 spectators; and finally, the stadium is refurbished to serve as a football stadium for 45,000 spectators in 2018, when Russia hosts the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The different purposes of the impressive stadium added increased complexity to the building project, including the HVAC installations that had to cater for different needs and uses in highly different seasons in a climate with hot summers and cold winters.

One-stop-shopping for heating and hot water

Danfoss was one of the partners who made the ambitious building complex come true through consulting on energy optimization and delivery of all required components for the stadium’s heating and hot water systems.

Danfoss deliveries to the Sochi Olympic Stadium:

• VB2 control valves (DN40, DN50) with AME actuators (23,33,423)
• Differential pressure controllers
• Automatic balancing valves for the heating system
• Ball valves, strainers

“Our customer at the Sochi project appreciated the capex and opex savings that they achieved by buying all components from one supplier. They had fewer contacts to deal with they received all components on time, and they got a highly reliable system from day one due to the compatibility of the components.”

Andrey Moiseenko,
Leader of central heat supply department